Iowa State University in Ames recently held their fall commencement ceremony. Like many events these days, the ceremony was virtual due to gathering restrictions. Even though the graduation ceremony was held online, it still featured a number of speakers. One of these speakers would be familiar to people in this area: Clarion native Zack Leist.
Leist is a 2017 Clarion-Goldfield-Dows graduate and was the class valedictorian. He is set to graduate from ISU next spring with an impressive triple major in ag business, economics and international agriculture. Leist was not simply chosen to give a speech because of his noteworthy academic pursuits, but also because he sits in the student seat on the nine-member state Board of Regents.
Leist was appointed to this position in the spring of 2019 by Governor Kim Reynolds. The regents are the governing body who oversees the state’s public universities. Leist is only the fifth ISU student to serve on the board in the past 35 years. He has said it is an honor to serve on the board and sees it as “an opportunity to show that kids from small towns can do amazing things."
Before his commencement speech, Leist was introduced by ISU president Wendy Wintersteen. She added, “We are proud of his service for all Iowans.”
In his speech, Leist congratulated the class of 2020. He talked about their unique journey with an infinite amount of Zoom meetings, masks and social distancing. Leist noted that much of what the students learned due to COVID will be applicable throughout their lives in the real world as they have perfected “the ability to adapt in order to succeed.”
Commenting on the challenges the graduates faced in the last several months, Leist also went on to quote Dr. Seuss: “When something bad happens, you have three choices. You can either let it define you, let it destroy you, or you can let it strengthen you.”
Leist ended by wishing the grads luck on their “new adventure about to begin.”
